Every Me Loves Every You
by P0ttergirl
Summary: A home for all of my Captain Swan AUs, because every Killian Jones loves every Emma Swan no matter the universe. Feel free to submit a prompt that you would like to see written.
1. Flowers for a Swan

**Flowers for a Swan**

 **Summary: Flower Shop AU; Emma goes looking for flowers and finds more than she could have ever expected.**

Emma entered the small flower shop on the corner of the street. Her friend Mary Margaret had been feeling under the weather as of late and Emma had decided that getting her a bouquet would be a nice way of cheering her up. It probably didn't hurt that Ruby had said the new guy who ran the flower shop was extremely attractive. Not that Emma was interested in dating right now, her last relationship with Walsh hadn't ended well; but that didn't mean she was blind. When Emma walked into the store she found herself quickly realizing how much Ruby underscored the man at the counter. Ruby had called him a 10 but damn if he wasn't at least a 15.

He looked up at the tinkling of the bell. "Hello love" he said with a wide smile. Emma swore in her internal monologue, not only was he handsome but he had an accent. A freaking British accent no less. Emma added an extra couple points to her mental tally for his lilting voice. "What can I get you lass?" He asked her while gesturing to the various flora. Emma glanced around the collections of flowers in the store before shrugging her shoulders awkwardly.

"This is a bit embarrassing but I know absolutely nothing about flowers. Don't get me wrong I can tell the difference between a rose and a lily, but that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge" she said while worrying her lip.

"Okay" he said with a smile. "Let's start with something easy. What is the occasion?" he asked.

"My friend is feeling rather ill and so I wanted to get something to cheer her up. She's always been the one with the green thumb" Emma answered. He muttered under his breath while walking around the shop before stopping at a small pot containing a small green leafy plant.

"How about this?" He asked out loud while lifting the plant into the air. "It's mint, so although it doesn't look stunning your nature loving friend can keep growing it after the fact. Plus mint was thought to protect people from illness" he explained. Emma nodded her head in assent and he deftly wrapped it with paper and ribbon. He rings her purchase up at the till and hands her some change and a small white flower with a green center. A look of confusion crosses her face at the unexpected item. "This one is on the house. It's a blackthorn which means I can hardly live till I see you again" he said while scratching his neck with embarrassment. Emma felt her cheeks lightly heat up at his words.

-CS-

Mary Margaret loved the mint. She loved the fact that Emma went out and got her a plant, and she loved the sentiment behind it. Of course Mary Margaret was well versed in victorian flower language, she was basically obsessed with fairytales and the meanings behind them. So when Mary Margaret's birthday rolled around a few weeks later, Emma once again found herself listening to the light tinkling of the bell as she opened the door to the flower shop. It didn't hurt that Emma wasn't against getting a chance to see Killian the florist once again. But of course she was there solely for the purpose of getting her friend flowers, not to flirt with the handsome shop keeper. Emma had to remind herself of her purpose when he turned to face her wiping sweat from his brow. Evidently he had been repotting some plants which was obviously a far more strenuous activity than Emma had anticipated. She couldn't keep her mind from wandering to other more strenuous activities that could cause him to sweat. Her train of thought was almost immediately derailed by him speaking.

"Couldn't help coming back to see my gorgeous face, could you love" he spoke a cocky grin spreading across his face. Emma couldn't help the slightly embarrassed blush that crossed her face at the unintentional accuracy of his words.

She recovered slightly too late with a roll of her eyes. "In your dreams, love" she parroted back his pet name.

"Aye. In my dreams indeed, and probably in yours as well" he replied with a smirk.

She ignored his comment and began looking around the shop in silence. Emma stopped when she came across the container of lilies. A quick google had revealed that Mary Margaret's birth month flower was the lily. She grabbed them and brought the flowers to the counter. With a quick flick of her wrist she placed the flowers on the counter. Killian took the flowers and began delicately wrapping them up.

"For your friend again?" He inquired. Emma nodded her head once again in confirmation. He handed back over the wrapped flowers and once again passed over an additional flower. This time it was at least one that Emma recognized; a beautiful orchid. He explained the significance "Orchids are made to be given to beautiful ladies such as yourself". Emma couldn't stop the smile of affection from crossing her features.

This time she didn't even bother fighting him for paying for the additional flower. It wasn't like he had any intention of letting her pay for it.

-CS-

Flower shopping at Killian's store had become a regular occurrence for Emma. What had started as an occasional occurrence to pick up flowers for Mary Margaret had evolved into a weekly trip to collect flowers for her own dining room table. Emma had to admit that although she loved the smell of fresh flowers in her apartment; she also enjoyed the time spent flirting with Storybrooke's resident florist. Each and every time he would make sure to slip an extra flower into her bundle and in turn Emma would insist on giving him a tip.

A few months in and Killian had asked her out by slipping a daffodil into her bouquet while explaining that she was the only one that he thought of. After she agreed to date him, he absolutely refused to let her pay for flowers at all. Apparently Killian was an old soul who valued the beliefs of chivalry. Emma however was far more stubborn and would leave bits of change laying around his shop.

Not a week would pass by without her discovering a red rose, a white camellia, or some such other offering gracing her doorstep.

It had been awhile since Emma had been so smitten with someone. Slowly all of those years of hurt were being replaced with happy memories of her time spent with Killian. Each passing day found Emma falling harder and harder for the town's florist; and oddly Emma didn't mind. Sure the part of her that remained an orphan at heart was still screaming at her to run but somehow that part of her seemed much less powerful with each encounter.

Their love for each other had began as a seed and was now in full bloom.

-CS-

Emma walked into the flower shop that she now had come to know as a second home. Her boyfriend turned to face her with the tinkling of the bell. A huge smile crossed his face upon seeing her. Emma had told him that she wouldn't be in today, but thankfully David had agreed to take her shift at the station.

"I didn't expect to see you today" he said.

"It's not super busy today so David told me to take a long lunch" she supplied. Although the small town was relatively low on crime this wasn't the reason that Emma found herself in his flower shop. She placed a small basket on his counter "I thought I'd spend my lunch with my favourite florist" Emma said.

"I wasn't aware you knew any other florists" he said teasingly.

"Well, Eric who runs Fairytale Flowers in the next town over and I have been getting pretty close as of late" she said a teasing grin crossing her face. She started taking containers of Granny's food onto the counter. Finally she placed a small vase with a white flower with purple spots down beside the food.

Killian blinked slowly as if his brain had momentarily stopped functioning. Emma felt a brief moment of panic shoot through her chest. "That's a toad lily" he said as if he had forgotten all he knew about flora and was asking for her confirmation.

"Indeed" she said while lifting the flower "I've been told that it is used to say I am eternally yours; but you've always been more of the flower buff". She gifted him the flower and he looked puzzled for a moment before removing the second part of her gift from the flowers center.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" he asked, his excitement creeping into his voice.

"I don't know, you were always the one who said that important things should be said with flowers" she said a teasing smirk crossing her face.

He leaned forwards and planted a kiss just beside the corner of her mouth. "Even flowers can't express how much I love you in this moment" he spoke rather breathily.

Emma felt her heartbeat pick up at his words. "Can I take that as a yes?" she asked.

"You can take it as a solid red carnation" he said with a smile. Even Emma knew that that particular flower meant "Yes. I love you".

With a kiss surrounded by flowers Emma and Killian promised to spend the rest of their lives together, and a half year later when the two were finally wed they did their vows amongst huge collections of brilliant flowers.

 **Author's Note: All flower meanings were grabbed off of google, so let me extend my sincerest apologies to anyone who is actually adept in Victorian flower language if any of them are incorrect. As far as I'm aware the character of Snow White from OUAT has no listed birthday so I went with her actress' birthdate which is in May. Reviews feed my muse so please consider leaving one. I look forward to seeing you all next chapter (providing of course you like my writing style and plan on continuing on).**


	2. Hearts and Daggers

**Hearts and Daggers**

 **Summary: Inspired by the prompt from silentpeaches on Tumblr "where a tattoo isn't set from the moment you're born and whatever tattoo your soulmate gets, you get it too and it's all cool because you kind of like the designs, except you also feel the pain of getting a tattoo and that sucks because you're kind of in the middle of an exam right now and it's getting harder to concentrate on your work." Told in alternating perspectives: Killian Jones intends to get the tattoo of the person he believes to be his soulmate and Emma Swan wonders who the fuck this Milah person is and why her soulmate is messing her up in the middle of her exam.**

 **Author's Note: What was supposed to be a pretty hilarious prompt kind of turned pretty dark so I just wanted to give you all a fair warning in case the darkness would be an issue for any of you.**

No one knew when the great soulmate phenomenon started. Some hypothesized that it began with the introduction of tattoos whereas other theorized that it was more a modern solution to an ancient problem. No matter what the reason science simply couldn't explain why when one person would get a tattoo that same tattoo would appear on another person sometimes across the globe. Eventually these people began meeting and the concept of the soulmate was born. Generally it's considered best to wait until you meet your soulmate naturally as in the past preemptive soul mate meetings caused by tattooing personal information on ones arm had led to disaster.

-CS-

Killian Jones had found his soulmate in Milah. Although neither of the two possessed tattoos, Killian was absolutely sure that she was the one. He loved her like he had never loved anyone else. And so that is how he ended up sitting in a tattoo parlour waiting for his turn. He had decided that as a surprise he would get a tattoo on his forearm bearing her name surrounded by a heart. The heart was to have a dagger through it in memory of her. Sadly his Milah had passed away a few months prior under tragic circumstances and understandably Killian was not handling his grief very well. So there he sat, a drawing of the tattoo he wanted in hand and a long line ahead of him.

-CS-

Emma Swan was skeptical of the whole soulmate thing. At least she always had been until her best friend Mary Margaret had met the man bearing an identical apple tattoo on his ankle. Even still Emma found herself rejecting the idea until she saw how perfectly her friend and David got along. It was almost like Mary Margaret had found her other half. Although Emma held onto her skeptical outlook she still shied away from getting a tattoo. She had been hurt badly many times before and so she didn't get a tattoo. Emma didn't want to have to possibly face someone after seeing an identical tattoo on their body. To put it frankly, Emma Swan was afraid of letting someone in who had the potential to emotionally destroy her. What if she and her supposed soulmate didn't work out? What if she got a tattoo in hopes of finding him, only to never find a person with a matching tattoo? All of these fears and questions stopped her from ever marring her surface with ink.

But it would seem her soulmate had other plans for her...

-CS-

Finally sitting in the chair Killian prepared for his skin to be permanently marked with the name of his beloved. To him it only made sense that his body should be physically marked with ink just as his heart had been permanently stained with the ink of Milah's loss. The short tattooist aptly named 'Grumpy' lectured him on the proper care of his soon to be tattoo. After what seemed like a lifetime he held his breath and felt the needles plunge in.

-CS-

They tell you to prepare for the pain when you get a tattoo. What they don't tell you is how to prepare for the pain when it happens in the midst of a math exam. And unfortunately for one Emma Swan her soulmate had selected that particular moment to get his first tattoo, and she could now feel the needles penetrating into her forearm. It hurt far less than Emma expected it would, but the sensation was still enormously distracting when she was trying to remember how to find the volume of a two dimensional linear graph. She had to admit the design from what she could tell thus far was quite beautiful. The swoop of the heart took shape first, followed by a heavily stylized scroll. Next a letter M arose on her skin. At this point Emma had practically given up on her exam as she watched the tattoo appear on her skin. She supposed that the tattoo was likely going to say Mom as that was the typical biker style design. Was her supposed soulmate in a biker gang? Not that there was anything wrong with that of course. Her train of thought was dashed when the letter I appeared next to the M. The proctor yelled out a ten minute warning and Emma glanced back at her mostly blank paper. She quickly scribbled out as much work as she could while continually checking out the progress of the unfolding tattoo. Emma couldn't stop herself from pondering 'Who the fuck is Milah and why in the world did her soulmate pick now of all times to get this tattoo'.

She handed her exam in at the last possible minute and tried to ignore the now searing pain in her arm, and the searing pain in her heart. Despite being skeptical of the idea of soulmates Emma couldn't help herself from getting a little hurt at the idea that her soulmate loved someone so much that he decided to get her name on his body. She stormed out of the room trying to keep the frustration at bay. Clearly whomever he was he had no interest in finding her, after all the fact that he and this Milah character were not soulmates would be evident by the first spot of ink. Not only was it hurtful in the sense that her soulmate was uninterested in finding her but that he cared so little that he would saddle her arm with the name of the person he had picked over her. It wasn't completely uncommon for someone to fall for somebody who wasn't their soulmate but they generally didn't rub it in their soulmate's face by emblazoning their body with a tattoo. She decided to ignore the tattoo's appearance until the stinging of the needle's had stopped.

After several more minutes of scratching she glanced down at the finished piece.

Emma found herself tearing up; not from the pain of the tattoo as that was minimal, nor was she crying due to the fact that she likely just failed her math exam, but because of the forlorn nature of the tattoo. Something about the dagger driven through the heart seemed extremely heartbreaking to her. She felt like she wanted to find her soulmate and help comfort him. The feeling was completely foreign to Emma, she wasn't known for being the person to call when you needed comfort; but something about the pain he was obviously going through made Emma want to help him. She couldn't help marvelling at how she went from complete irritation at him to despair for him in under a few minutes.

One thing was for sure Emma needed to find him, whomever he was. Screw the possibility of ruining her chances with her soulmate by preemptively meeting him, she needed to find him and comfort him.

-CS-

Although it was rather morbid Killian couldn't help himself from wondering if Milah's corpse now bore his tattoo. It wasn't something that had been scientifically tested. No one knew if the soulmate bond extended after death. He didn't really know which would be comforting, to know that they were still bonded or to know that she was at peace. The idea of her body searing with her tattoo was not something he wanted to think about.

The thought almost made him regret getting the tattoo; but when he glanced down at it he was reminded of the reason he got it. With her death part of his heart died too. He felt like he was in a much darker place than he had been in a long time. Milah wouldn't want him to torture himself like this, but Milah also wasn't here to stop him from doing this to himself. Milah was his family. She was all he had and now she was gone.

-CS-

Despite only being a university student Emma had her ways to track people down. After all google wasn't a bad means of finding a person especially because Milah was not an overly common name. A bit of digging discovered a newspaper article detailing the murder of one Milah Gold by her ex-husband. All she could dig up beyond that was that Milah resided in a small town in Maine called Storybooke.

So with a quickly packed suitcase and some sage words of advice and encouragement from Mary Margaret Emma headed off in her bug to Storybooke Maine.

Emma didn't know what to expect from the small town but it certainly wasn't the picturesque landscape that she was treated to. The small town looked far too innocent for something as nefarious as a murder and Emma found herself worrying that she had picked the wrong Milah. But as Emma was well aware appearances could be deceiving.

-CS-

With not much else to do with his time Killian found himself heading off to work. If it wasn't for the fact that Milah was there he would have moved away long ago. And now he still couldn't help leaving the town that was her final resting place. Work waits for no man, regardless of the tragedy they've faced. Work was good. It distracted him from the horror that was his life. Sometimes it almost felt like Milah could walk in the door at anytime for her daily visit; but then Killian would grab something and spot the tattoo on his arm. And he'd feel the loss all over again. The tinkling of a bell alerted him to the presence of someone entering the building.

-CS-

Emma Swan was pooped. She had spent the entire day scouring the town for the presence of her soulmate and she had found out nothing. Not only had she been unable to find him but she hadn't even been able to come up with a lead to his identity. Maybe she really did have the wrong Milah. There wasn't even a tattoo shop in Storybooke so if he really lived there he must have traveled somewhere else to get his tattoo. Emma had a headache. It was a ridiculously long day and she had achieved nothing. She didn't even necessarily have the right place. She rubbed her temples in hopes of lessening her headache. Coffee. Coffee is what she needed.

That's how Emma ended up at Storybooke's quaint coffee shop. She had to admit the space was nice, quiet and inviting which was a high contrast to her campus' coffee shop. Emma wasn't one to give up but she had to admit that she was losing hope. The barista took her order and turned away to fix her drink.

-CS-

"One black coffee with two sugars" Killian toned as he handed the drink to the blonde. He glanced down at her hand in order to hand her the drink and noticed a flash of colour on her wrist. He eyed the design and realized with a slight panic that it matched his own. Clearly she had noticed the matching tattoo on his arm as her mouth was open in surprise.

It was almost fitting that he originally met Milah in the coffee shop and was now meeting the woman who bore her name on a tattoo.

"Hi" she said when she had finally regained her voice. "I'm Emma Swan" she continued "and I guess I'm your soulmate". She placed down her coffee and extended her hand in greeting. Killian numbly took it. He wasn't ready for a soulmate. He thought he had already found his soulmate in Milah, but yet here stood a woman claiming to be his soulmate. She seemed rather nonplussed by his shocked reaction but moved to lower her hand all the same.

Killian wasn't ready for a new person in his life, but given time he might be. So he shook off the mountain of apprehension weighing down his shoulders and took her hand in his and introduced himself.

-CS-

Pain takes time to overcome and Emma was willing to give him all the time in the world. Emma herself wasn't really ready for a soulmate. She had been hurt in the past, but sometimes two hurt people can help each other overcome their hurt. So that's what Emma vowed to do.


	3. He's a Real Keeper

**He's a Real Keeper**

 **Summary: Single parents Emma and Killian meet at their kids first soccer game.**

 **Author's Notes: This is written to fill a request left by a guest. Thanks so much for all of you lovely people who have reviewed this thus far. Just a quick factoid in case you are interested, the name Marilla means shining sea which I thought might be fitting for the daughter of a sea captain.**

"We are going to be sooooo late" Henry whined from the back seat. To his credit Emma's six year old son was probably right. Her yellow bug wasn't super speedy and she was already running late due to having to catch a thief right before she was due to get off her shift at the police department.

Her car pulled into the gravel parking lot and Henry practically jumped from the car. "Slow down there kiddo" she called after him.

"Come on. Hurry up Mom" he said with a huge amount of excitement. Emma couldn't really get annoyed by his excitement; he had always been an easily excitable kid who saw the best in the world. Plus the kid was adorable trying to race onto the soccer pitch in all of his knee padded glory.

"Good luck kid. Have fun" Emma said with a smile while ruffling her sons hair.

"Thanks Mom. I'm going to win it for you" he said practically bounding away to join the other kids. Emma found her spot in the grass and set out her lawn chair. She smiled as she watched Henry introduce himself to the other kids on his team.

She turned from the court when she heard a thump of something hitting the ground on her left. There stood a man with the bluest eyes Emma had ever seen. He was struggling to get hit lawn chair unfolded. "Do you need a hand there?" Emma asked.

He seemed slightly embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck "No thanks. I think I can handle it". He struggled for a few more moments before finally properly unfolding the chair and sat down with a sigh. "I'm Killian by the way" he told her while extending his hand to shake hers.

Emma took his hand in hers and introduced herself "I'm Emma. It's lovely to meet you". She pointed at her son "and that is my son Henry". Henry was already clearly pumped for the game. He bounced from foot to foot as he prepared for the game to begin. Emma smiled at seeing her son so happy; it had been awhile since he had looked this carefree. She felt sad at that thought.

"He's a cute kid" Killian said interrupting Emma's darkening mood. "He must get it from his mom" he added on. Emma Swan didn't blush, especially for a line as cheesy as that; but for whatever reason this relative stranger was capable of making her blush. Thankfully for Emma he didn't seem to notice her lightly pinked cheeks. "That's my little girl" he said while gesturing towards a short brown haired girl running around the field. "Her name is Marilla" his voice took on a slightly bittersweet tone. Emma did him the favour of pretending not to notice his voice crack.

The ring on his hand suggested he was married but the way he looked at his daughter suggested that the mom was no longer in the picture. His daughter's appearance obviously reminded him of his wife. Emma knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. She wouldn't wish those feelings on her worst enemy, much less on Killian.

"She's really pretty" Emma said breaking the silence.

"Thanks, but that's all her mother's doing" Killian replied.

"I don't know about that. Her dad isn't bad looking either" Emma said with an overly exaggerated wink. The two broke out into laughter from Emma's comment. She was happy to see the sad look being replaced on his face with one of mirth.

An air horn squealed signalling the beginning of the game and the two turned to watch there kids racing around. As it was with little kid's soccer the coach was primarily trying to keep the kids running in the correct direction; just like a man trying to lure a bunch of mischievous cats away from a pile of boxes.

Henry looked exuberant, running back and forth across the field. Emma cheered when he scored his first goal; even though it was in the wrong team's net. She cheered because that's what parents do; they congratulate you when you do your best. Emma never really had that unconditional supportiveness in the foster system but she would definitely make sure her son had it.

When Marilla scored Emma cheered alongside Killian. The little girl was all smiles and Emma could see the bits and pieces of her that were all Killian, she had his impossible blue eyes and his smile. The next time Henry scored, this time on the correct goal Killian cheered with her. Apparently their two kids were the only ones who seemed slightly adept at the sport, and formed a duo passing the ball back and forth.

Halftime brought the kids back to their parents to refuel for the second half of the game. Emma might have almost been late but she had brought along the prerequisite orange slices. Emma offered some to Marilla and Killian and suddenly all four were munching on the slices like one big happy family. To the average onlooker they could have easily been one family what with the kids similarly coloured hair and the way they were all gathered together.

The munching on the oranges was interrupted by Henry. Henry looked up at Killian and asked "Why is your hair all messy?".

Killian looked slightly surprised before chuckling. "Only the coolest of cool people have messy hair" Killian replied. Emma tried not to laugh at her son's sudden seriously thoughtful look.

"I want to be cool. Can you mess up my hair?" Henry asked Killian. Killian looked to Emma in questioning and she nodded her head in assent.

"Well..." Killian said while ruffling Henry's hair "you were already cool; but now you are even cooler". Henry's entire face lit up with a smile and Emma felt a jolt of affection towards her son and the man sitting next to her.

The air horn sounded and the kids both ran onto the field; but not before hugging their respective parents.

"Thanks for that." Emma said "You are probably like his hero now".

Killian smiled at her. "Don't mention it." he said to her "It's the least I can do after we ate all your delectable orange slices. Clearly you are a five star chef".

Emma laughed at his joke. Although she was many things, someone talented with the skill of cooking was not one of them and she told Killian just as much.

"Well perhaps I can teach you to cook" he offered while leaning in ever so slightly.

"Nu-uh" Emma bantered back "there is absolutely no way you can cook".

"Scouts honor" Killian said while raising the salute "I learned to cook after my three year old daughter started complaining about eating only Mac and Cheese and partially burned fried eggs". Emma actually laughed hard enough that she snorted. This made Killian in turn break out in laughter.

Emma had to admit that she was vaguely impressed that Killian had some cooking skills. Neal had never been much of a cook and so a majority of their meals were pre-made or eaten at a restaurant. Their light discussion was interrupted by another one of the kids scoring which was met with the obligatory cheering. It was kind of unfortunate; Emma certainly wouldn't have minded cooking lessons from him.

-CS-

Although no one kept score in a kid's soccer game Emma could tell that Henry's team was winning. She was so proud of Henry when he ran back to her after the game ended. Henry practically bounced around as he once again thanked Killian for fixing up his hair.

"See you at practice" Marilla said while waving goodbye to Henry.

Henry practically beamed at her "We have to be the very best". The two kids cheered before high fiving.

"See you Monday" Killian said, giving Emma a wink.

"See you Monday" she replied. Emma and Henry watched Marilla and Killian drive away before heading to their own car.

"Mom does he play soccer?" Henry asked her while sliding into the back seat.

"No. Why do you ask?" Emma questioned him while turning back to face him from the front seat.

"Because he seems like a real keeper" Henry said with a smug grin crossing his face.

Emma couldn't help the unintentional blush that crept across her face at her son's words.


	4. Succeeding at Adulting

**Succeeding at Adulting**

 **Summary: We both walked into the wrong lecture hall and now it's far too awkward to leave. Wait you brought snacks?**

 **Author's Note: I can confirm as a University student that this is the behaviour of certain profs. As a side note I do not encourage goofing off in class.**

Emma Swan had made a lot of dumb mistakes in her life. She's a human being and so Emma Swan tended to make mistakes. She had never done something quite as embarrassingly dumb as accidentally walking into the wrong lecture hall. Instead of ending up in math 104 she had accidentally ended up in biology 325, and to make matters worse she was sitting in the front row.

She hadn't realized her mistake until the lecture had begun and now she was stuck. If she left now everyone in the room would have to see her do the awkward walk of shame out of the room.

The professor Mr. Booth finished introducing himself and then took off his leather coat. He was one of those young profs that suggested you call him by his first name August instead of by his last name. Emma had to admit that the guy seemed kind of cool for a professor. "Since you will all be taking my class it would be best if you introduced yourself to the person beside you. It's always helpful to have someone to study with or to tell you what homework you missed" August said.

The lecture hall of one hundred students erupted into chattering at the professor's allowance. Emma felt a tug on her jacket's sleeve and turned to face the person on her left. Emma was surprised by how absolutely stellar looking the guy beside her was. He offered her his hand to shake it. She took his hand and shook it.

"I'm Killian Jones. And you are..." He trailed off.

"I'm Emma Swan. It's great to meet you" she said introducing herself.

She felt a bit bad for the guy; after all he was supposed to be finding a homework buddy and instead he was talking to someone who wasn't in the class.

August called the students attention back to the front. "Now that you know your partner we are going to review some of the basics from last year" he said. Thus began an hour and a half of 'the basics' or as Emma preferred to call it an hour and a half of understanding absolutely nothing. It wasn't that Emma was dumb because she wasn't, but as someone whose only biology background was in high school she simply wasn't prepared for a third year university course.

She could get through this. She just had to make it through the period without making a fool of herself by getting called on. The best way to avoid being called on is to focus on taking notes; so Emma started taking notes on things she had absolutely no understanding of.

After a half hour of torture August requested that they talk to their partners about the course material. A smattering of rather intelligent discussions broke out around the room but Emma and Killian remained rather silent. Emma was going to have to pretend she knew what was going on.

"So what are your thoughts on what we've covered?" Killian asked her.

Emma's tried to stop her eyes from widening in panic. She wasn't prepared to answer his question. She needed to bullshit it and she needed to do it quickly. "I'm really looking forward to this course. It sounds super interesting. Although I'm a tad worried as one of my friends who took it last year said it could be rather difficult" she said.

He nodded his head in assent. "Yeah I've heard that this class can be kind of difficult. I'm especially looking forward to learning more about the..." he glanced down at his notes "the biodiversity of species". He scratched his neck nervously.

'Maybe he's shy' Emma thought to herself. "Yeah learning about biodiversity in plants and animals sounds really cool" Emma replied.

He narrowed his eyes at her for a few moments before breaking out into laughter. "You are in the wrong room aren't you?" He asked her. The blush that immediately spread across her face was answer enough. Emma was glad everyone else seemed to be absorbed in their own conversations and were unaware of her embarrassment.

"What gave it away?" Emma asked.

"Well for one you seem way to young for a third year class. Secondly you seem just as lost as I am" he replied. It finally dawned on Emma; she wasn't the only one who made the stupid mistake of walking into the wrong lecture hall.

"Oh thank goodness" Emma said "I'm so glad that I'm not the only one lost enough to attend the wrong lecture".

"What say we actually enjoy this lecture instead of trying to pretend we know what's going on" he said with a huge smirk.

"Anything to make this painful experience speed up" Emma replied.

Killian unzipped his bag and pulled out a bag of Doritos. He opened it and pointed it in her direction.

"We can't just snack in class. We're literally in the front row" Emma chastised him.

"First rule of university love; most professors don't even care if you are listening" he replied and then tossed a Dorito into his mouth for emphasis. He then gestured to the prof who was currently reading a book at his desk while the class discussed the course material.

Deciding it was likely safe Emma snuck a Dorito from the bag. She glanced at the clock. At this point she and Killian only had another 45 minutes to endure before being freed.

He gave Emma an overly

exaggerated wink while turning his laptop to face her. He changed his browser from the school website to a games website. "It's a good thing the school's got such great free wifi" he whispered while booting up the game. He angled the laptop so that she could reach the keys. Together they could play multiplayer games for the rest of the period; which is exactly what they did.

-CS-

The lecture finished and students began to flow out of the room all buzzing on their way to the next class or to relax in the commons area. "What time is your next class?" Killian asked.

"I've got a two hour wait until my next class" she informed him.

"Perfect" he said with a smile. "I've got an hour and a half until my next class. Let's say we go get a coffee?" he asked.

Emma nodded her head "Let's go".

 **Author's Note Part 2: Thanks so much for taking the time to read my fic. This is the obligatory part where I mention that none of the characters are of my own creation. If I owned OUAT there would be way more domestic Killian and Emma.**

 **And remember reviews are to me like leather jacketed pirates are to Emma; in other words they mean a lot.**


	5. Pirates and Swans and zombies! Oh my!

**Pirates and Swans and zombies! Oh my!**

 **Summary: Emma Swan tries to deal with loneliness in the zombie apocalypse**

 **Author's Notes: I wanted to get something out quickly as a thank you for all of your kind reviews. In particular I loved the review which was just 'OOHH SNAP' because I burst out laughing when I saw it.**

66 days. 66 days since Emma Swan had last seen Killian Jones. It had been 66 days since Emma had been separated from the love of her life. It had been 102 days since the start of the zombie apocalypse; but the last 66 days had been the hardest. 66 long, hard, and lonely days since Emma Swan watched a pack of zombies haul away the love of her life.

Part of her wanted to believe he survived; but with a mob that size it was practically impossible.

It had been stupid. She wasn't paying attention and he payed the price for her mistakes. It should have been her, hauled away by the horde. Anything but Killian. She would have given anything to trade places with him.

"I will always find you" that's what he always told her. At the start of the apocalypse Emma and Killian weren't together. They were _together_ , they just weren't in the same place. She had been in New York for a case and he was in their shared home in small town Maine. That didn't stop Killian Jones. Despite all odds he had found her. Lord knows how he managed to locate her in the chaos of a zombie apocalypse; but he had done it and that was all that was important. At least that was all that was important; until they had once again become separated.

She had waited at their safe house for 3 days before moving on. Emma couldn't bear to stay in the space after losing him; there were simply too many memories. So now here she was on the run across the countryside. Lost for all purposes of the word. Emma Swan had lost the man she thought to be her soulmate and he wasn't coming back.

The zombie apocalypse wasn't all fun in games like the YA books make it sound. It was utterly horrific, but Emma wasn't going to dwell on all of that. She wasn't going to dwell on Killian missing; at least she was going to try not to dwell on it. It was easier to say he was missing than the more probably outcome of being dragged away by zombies.

They had always joked that one day Emma and Killian would get a boat and travel the sea. They would leave the zombies behind on the shore and sail the oceans. So that's what Emma was intending on doing. She had spent the last eight days loading the boat with enough canned goods and bottled water to last several months.

Emma stood on the dock preparing to wave goodbye to the remnants of civilization. This was it. The final goodbye; or at least the goodbye for several months. A tear dripped down her cheek. She was finally going to fulfil the dream of life at sea; but it felt completely hollow without him there.

She turned to face the ship and stepped on it. She heard her name "Emma" shouted across the winds. It was his voice calling her; but it was impossible. Everything in Emma told her it was simply her grief talking. Her friend Mary Margaret is always telling her that happy endings begin with hope. Had always told her that happy endings begin with a little hope. Emma needed to get used to using the word had instead of is. But she owed everything to Mary Margaret so she turned in the direction of the voice.

PpEmma collapsed onto her knees. Approximately fifty feet away stood one of her favourite people in the entire world; Killain Jones. This couldn't be possible, and yet it was. He ran to her and lifted her up in his arms. "I told you that I would always find you" he whispered into her ear.

She didn't believe he was real yet here he was holding her in his arms. He was whole and okay and Emma Swan vowed never to let her boyfriend go again.

Emma didn't even realize that she was crying until Killian was wiping the tears from her face.

"Let's say we board that boat" he whispered soothingly to her. She nodded her head in assent and he lifted her over the threshold.

Together they sailed off into the sunset, never to be parted again.


	6. Stitches and Stethoscopes

**Stitches and Stethoscopes**

 **Summary: Cursed AU. Emma Swan becomes the bailsbond turned sheriff of the sleepy town of Storybrooke; but as the secrets of the town are revealed she finds herself spending more and more time at the office of Doctor Killian Jones.**

"Say Ahhhhhh" Killian said.

"This is completely unnecessary" Emma replied in annoyance "I just need you to stitch up this wound". She gestured to the slash on the back of her upper arm. "I would do it myself but unfortunately I can't quite reach that far back".

Killian took out the needle to begin sewing her wound. "You know for a sheriff of a town with relatively low crime rates you tend to get injured a lot" Killian said.

"Trust me when I say that I'm not going around getting injured for fun" Emma said.

"Then are you doing it in order to come see me?" the doctor asked.

Emma merely rolled her eyes in reply. There was really no way to tell the nice doctor that patched her up that her injuries were from fairytale characters throwing a hissy fit. Heck the current malady bringing her to his office was from an extremely drunken dwarf. In his defence the dwarf was probably also being controlled by the Evil Queen at the time. That being said Emma hadn't quite forgiven him for the scrape yet.

With the stress of dealing with magical fictional characters it was surprising Emma hadn't turned to drinking herself.

The doctor had kind of become her confidante. Not like Emma told Killian about the fact that the people of Storybrooke were characters from a storybook. If she told him that he would probably have recommended her to a whole different type of doctor. And since Emma Swan didn't much care to talk about her feelings she wasn't so interested in being sent to a shrink. That being said she probably could have benefited from discussing with Archie about the whole 'I'm the saviour' thing. That is if he didn't think she had flipped her lid over the whole fictional characters thing.

"Ouch" Emma groaned out.

"Sorry" Killian replied "You know your visits with me wouldn't be so painful if you stopped getting injured".

She turned to face him as she slid from the examination table. "And why would I have a reason to visit you then?" she asked.

"Instead of visiting with me in my clinic you could instead come see me at The Rabbit Hole" he replied.

"I'm pretty sure it's against the rules to date patients" Emma said while giving him a cheeky wink.

He gave her a mock wounded look. "If you stop getting injured all of the time then you would no longer be my patient" he replied his look turning to one of concern. "Plus I'm the only doctor in this town so by that logic I have to be alone forever" he added on.

Emma sassed him back "I guess you better take up a hobby to fill all of that alone time".

He handed her the model ship that sat on his counter as if for emphasis "I actually rather enjoy sailing". Emma raised her eyebrows as she digested the information. She had long since been able to figure out most of the fairytale identities of Storybrooke's residents; but Killian Jones had not been an easy puzzle to crack. Ruby being little Red Riding Hood was obvious; but Killian, well he was an entirely different matter.

Emma knew he was skilled with his hands as evidenced by his quickly done stitches. She knew he had a penchant for a good glass of rum by the few times she had seen him at the pub. He clearly had a high alcohol tolerance as she had never seen him more than slightly tipsy. And now Emma knew that he had a thing for sailing. Slowly the mystery that was Killian Jones was beginning to unravel itself. Above all else Emma knew that he was a good man and whatever his fairytale identity was; it was likely a hero of some sort. Perhaps he was a high ranking admiral in the navy. His great posture did suggest a military background; but the swagger with which he moved suggested otherwise.

Killian Jones was a seeming mass of impossible contradictions, and Emma Swan wanted nothing more than to figure him out. Of course she would never tell him that. The man had enough of an ego already, she wasn't going to feed it any further. To be fair a man who got his doctorate from Cambridge probably deserved to have a bit of an ego, although since he was an inhabitant of Storybrooke he had likely never even visited the campus let alone studied there at all.

"Have an awesome day Doc" Emma said while leaving his office.

He smiled and waved at her "As much as I'd like to see you again soon, I would rather you remained uninjured".

Emma smiled in spite of herself. She rather enjoyed her visits with Storybrooke's resident physician.

-CS-

The next time Emma had to pay a trip to Storybrooke's only doctor was after the curse to wipe their memories had been lifted. What Emma wasn't expecting was to see a hook crammed onto where the doctor's usual prosthesis was. His usually messy hair was practically disheveled and he was knocking back a glass of rum.

"I take it you are a pirate" Emma said. Her voice seemed to spook him. He clearly had been unaware of his presence until she spoke.

"Whatever gave you that idea, love" Killian replied while gesticulating with his hook. "Anyways I'm not just _a p_ irate I'm _the_ pirate" he continued "specifically Captain Hook".

Emma's eyebrows rose in surprise. She had pegged Killian for many things but a villain certainly wasn't one of them. The man before her didn't seem villainous and violent, he just seemed sad.

"I've killed people in cold blood because they questioned my authority" he said just above a whisper. A slight shiver ran down Emma's spine at the brokeness in his voice. She should have been afraid of him, she should have done anything other than hug him. Despite the fact that he was once a villainous pirate that wasn't who he was now, and thus Emma was not afraid of him.

She spoke softly to comfort him "You are a doctor now. You heal people".

She felt his shoulders shudder against her "That doesn't change the fact that I was once a very different person".

"Okay" she said "Are you planning on killing anyone anytime soon?".

He looked absolutely affronted "Of course not. I took the Hippocratic oath".

She took his hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "We've all made mistakes; but we can choose to be better. We can choose to change. And I believe that you can be better" Emma said.

He gave her a slightly sad smile. "Thank you for believing in me Swan" he said.

"Don't mention it" she replied "after all I had to learn to believe that fairytale characters were real so I can pretty much adapt to believing in anything now. Besides the Killian Jones I know would never kill a man; at least not on purpose anyways".

"Thanks Emma, and for the record I believe in you too" he replied.

Emma put her coat back over her shoulders. "How about instead of drinking alone you let me buy you a drink at The Mad Hatter?" she asked. The sadness faded completely from his face as he grabbed the telltale leather coat from his hanger. Emma was surprised she didn't figure it out sooner. The clean cut doctor's appearance didn't seem to match the leather jacket he always wore.

At The Mad Hatter's the two toasted to new beginnings and to the future.


	7. Every Pirate Needs a Baby

**Every Pirate Needs a Baby**

 **Summary: The baby isn't yours**

 **Author's Note: This is a rather short addition to tide you all over while I work on a longer prompt that someone submitted. Don't worry it's not as angsty as it sounds.**

He and Emma sat side by side on the couch with a small blue bundle wrapped up in his arms. Killian was happy playing with this amazingly small infant who he had become attached to. It had been far too long since the pirate had held a baby in his arms. The longer he sat with the baby in his arms making cooing noises, the more irritated the woman beside him became. The irritation finally overcame her and she spoke "the baby isn't yours". Killian turned to face the look of annoyance on her face.

He replied "I'm well aware that the baby isn't mine". The fact that the baby wasn't his didn't change the fact that he absolutely adored it. The annoyance slipped from her face momentarily, she clearly did not expect his words.

Emma spoke once again with irritation seeping into her voice "I didn't agree to babysit my nephew Neal just so you could monopolize all the time with him".

Killian laughed at her ridiculously annoyed expression and handed the baby over to her. She cradled the baby in her arms and the annoyed grimace disappeared from her face. Killian found himself unable to draw his eyes away from the image of his Swan holding a baby. Perhaps someday he and Emma would have a child of their own and the occasional snuggles they received from babysitting would become a daily occurrence. He wanted a future with Emma, kids and all; providing of course that she too wanted that. Judging by the huge smile spread across her face from holding Neal she definitely wouldn't be opposed to adding on to their family. Perhaps someday Killian and Emma would have a princess and a pirate to call their own.

Little did Killian know that someday would be sooner then he thought. And Emma had the little blue stick in her purse to prove it. She didn't know that there would be two babies instead of one. Emma and Killian didn't find out about the twins until several weeks later at the first ultrasound.

 **Author's Note: Okay so this one isn't necessarily super AU as it could fit into the canon. How about it is an AU where all the characters are happy and enjoying super domestic lives.**


	8. I will always find you

**I will always find you**

 **Summary: In an alternate time line Emma Swan is separated from her beloved pirate and has her memories wiped by the Dark One. Killian Jones will travel across whatever realm is necessary in order to get his beloved back.**

 **Author's Notes: This was written to fulfill a request that was PMed to me. As its a bit wordy I'm not going to write it all out. Hopefully this was what you were looking for and I sincerely apologize for how long it took to get out to you (sometimes my muse is a fickle beast). Truth be told I've had his written up for like a week but just hadn't got around to editing t until now.**

Killian Jones was the most fearsome pirate captain of them all; but he was also secretly one of the kindest. He brought on people who had nowhere else to go. His right hand Smee had been facing execution for theft before he joined the staff of the Jolly Roger. In fact the two people who Killian found to be most important in his life also joined him because they were lost in life as well. Milah one of his trusted advisors and closest friends wanted a life of adventure and found her way onto his ship after Killian had fought off some particularly barbaric bargoers. But the most important lost person who had found his way onto his ship was Emma Swan. She was an orphan from birth and her hardened shell showed it well. Slowly she opened her heart to him. She even eventually fell for him.

Killian Jones protected his own. For a young captain he had a great deal of responsibility resting on his shoulders. Killian had a big heart demonstrated by his somewhat ragtag crew; but that crew could take down any ship with him at the helm. The beauty about Killian's crew was that it was based more on need and less on skill. If they came across a child fleeing an abusive home they would gain a new cabin boy. This same big heart fell hard for one of the ladies he brought onto the ship, mainly his best friend Emma Swan.

Very few people would call a pirate heroic but Emma Swan felt her pirate fit the definition. Killian had a code of good form. He was a truly exceptional man. Which is why he was so easy to love. She should rephrase that, Killian Jones was an easy man to adore but he was a hard man to love as he tried to keep others at a distance. Emma knew he had been hurt badly in the past and so he was reluctant to fall in love. But he couldn't stop himself from falling for her just as a drowning man cannot learn to breathe water.

Their ship was unbeatable by all, including the Dark Ones own merchants, much to the displeasure of the dark one. Even with magic at their disposal the Dark One's vessels could not take down the Jolly Roger. At least he was unable to take down their ship until the day the Dark One set foot on the boat himself.

The Jolly Roger had been docked on the marina of a small village for a short period of time. It wasn't short enough to avoid the powers of the Dark One. His powers were far reaching, and all it took was a tip off from a local tavern for the Dark One to arrive on the dock.

Killian's crew was quick, but they couldn't flee the scene fast enough. When Rumple boarded their ship he used his magic to render them weaponless. Swords flew overboard and cannons unloaded themselves. He was clearly stronger since the last time they battled.

Milah didn't make it. Her ex-husband ripped her heart from her chest and crushed it. Emma Swan was strong; but watching her best friends heart destroyed in front of her was more than she could take. A trail of tears trickled down her cheek. She felt sick, for that matter she had been feeling ill a lot lately.

The Dark One extended his arm towards Emma and Killian stepped in front of her. With a voice much harder than Emma had ever heard him use Killian spoke "I won't let you hurt Emma".

At that the Dark One smiled and put his hands together. "Oh I won't hurt her. That would be too kind for you dearie. I'm just going to send her away. Far away" he spoke in an eerie high pitched voice. He snapped his fingers and Emma disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. And just for good measure the Dark One took Killian's hand. After all the Dark One was known for kicking people when they were down.

-CS-

Emma Swan landed on her face with a thump. The ground was hard and dark with a yellow line across it. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Emma Swan would later learn that she had landed face down on a road and was now in the small town of Storybrooke. She would also later learn that she was several months pregnant. But beyond that Emma Swan had very little memory of how she arrived on the middle of the road of the small town; nor did she remember the realm of the Enchanted Forest.

Slowly she began to remember growing up in the town of Storybrooke and the man named Walsh who left her after finding out she was pregnant with his child. Emma Swan moved on like she always did. Seven months later Henry was born and Emma's world kept on turning.

-CS-

Killian's world however came crashing down around him. One of his closest friends was dead and the woman he loved most had been transported to god knows where.

He didn't just sit around moping though; well at least he didn't sit around for long. He was determined to find Emma even if it meant sailing across the entire realm of the Enchanted Forest. Unfortunately for him his beloved wasn't actually in the Enchanted Forest. Of course he didn't know that; at least he didn't know it yet.

One good thing was that Killian's crew was extremely loyal. Despite the threat of the Dark One his crew continued to sail the seas with him. They journeyed across the realm for years. When that proved fruitless they journeyed to another realm Neverland.

The Dark One had been impossible to pin down. It was almost as if he went into hiding. He continued doing his deeds but he didn't seem to stay anywhere for very long. Killian wanted to find him and make him pay for what he did. But most of all he wanted to hunt down the Dark One and force him to reveal the location in which Emma was held by any means necessary.

Killian just hoped that those means didn't change him from the man Emma loved. He didn't want to become a monster on par with the Dark One; but for Emma he would do it. He would do anything for her. He would travel to any realm and find a way to travel through time itself if it was necessary.

The answer to Killian's problem came in the form of a princess names Belle. Apparently she had spent time serving as Rumplestilstkin's maid before being preemptively released from her contract. She told him that he could find Emma in the world without magic; but she also warned him that he wouldn't like what he found. She wouldn't tell him why he would be upset, but she cautioned him from getting his hopes up.

His valiant crew had offered to accompany him. Given the fact that Killian wasn't even sure there would be a way back into their realm from the land without magic he prohibited his crew from accompanying him. After all his boat was fuelled by magic and by the wind so Killian didn't believe that a return trip would be possible. Heck he didn't even know if the realm possessed oceans. It showed how much Killian cared for Emma that he was willing to give up the possibility of sailing if it meant being reunited with her.

-CS-

So there he stood; alone on his ship sailing away into the unknown. To a land that was unimaginably different then his own. And he was doing it for her, for Emma. A magic bean was all it took to send him and his ship over the edge into the realm.

By some miracle, or perhaps by fate itself Killian's ship took port in the small town of Storybrooke. He made his way into the town stopping at all the wonders that he passed. Somehow they had managed to create lights in the poles that lined the road. How the beings had managed to create fireless lights without magic was beyond him.

He stood facing the large clock tower and watched as the hands moved forwards from 8:15. He had barely arrived in the realm and already Killian was astounded by the astounding wonders around him.

A horseless chariot roared past Killian at a seemingly impossible speed. Would the wonders ever cease? Apparently not as another chariot, this one much smaller and yellow screeched to a halt mere inches from Killian. He had walked into its path and almost ended up squashed under its tire.

Although the land of magic was exactly that it still possessed a certain type of magic. Love is one of the strongest magics of all. When Emma climbed out of the carriage with a look of worry on her face Killian almost fell to his knees in relief. Unfortunately for him love doesn't have the same kind of power as it does in his realm and so the Emma Swan he found was not his Emma. Sure she looked like Emma, she talked like Emma, she even smelled like Emma; but when he looked into her eyes he didn't see recognition there, only concern for the stranger she almost mowed down.

The real clincher in Killian's breaking heart was when a young boy no older than ten hopped out of her transport. She had moved on and found someone else. "Are you alright?" she asked him. Clearly Killian's complete silence and staring was unnerving her.

He shook his head slightly to clear it "I'm all right love". Emma's nose scrunched momentarily as if she was experiencing déjà vu.

She raised her eyebrows in question "Are you cosplaying or something?". She gestured to his long leather coat and pirate garb. Killian didn't know what this so called 'cosplaying' was, but he was pretty sure he wasn't doing it.

"This is how I always dress" he replied.

The boy walked up to Killian and extended his hand to shake his. Killian took it in his own. "I'm Henry" the young boy replied.

"The names Killian" he replied. He turned to face her "It's lovely to see you again Emma".

Emma grabbed her sons arm and pulled him behind her. She was fearful of this unknown, oddly dressed man, who somehow knew her name. Henry poked his head out from underneath his mothers arm. "Do you like card games?" He asked. Card games were one of the things Killian and his crew used to pass the time while they were at sea. He nodded his head in assent. "See mom" Henry said "anyone who likes to play cards can't be all bad".

Emma still seemed rather distrustful of him. After all playing cards wasn't really a sign of good character. She stared at him for a few moments as if examining his very soul. Whatever she appeared to find, or rather hadn't found seemed to appease her. "Well stranger I guess it would be the kindest to invite you home for dinner and cards" she said.

-CS-

What Killian didn't expect to find at Emma's house (besides more of the seemingly magical lights) were two middle aged individuals. They introduced themselves as Mary Margaret and David Nolan; but more importantly as Emma's parents and by extension the grandparents of Henry. Mary Margaret was immediately friendly whereas David seemed hesitant similar to how Emma acted in regards to letting a strange man into the house.

The house was littered with photos of Emma from childhood to adulthood. If the pictures were any indication it looked like she had a relatively good life. It was clear that these people loved her.

She had a family here. Emma Swan had always wanted a family and apparently whatever had wiped her mind of the events of the Enchanted Forest had also given her parents. Parents that loved her. He couldn't bare to take that away from her. Her remembering him would also likely mean her losing her parents and her son. That was assuming of course that the son was something created to fill in the gaps of her life. Although Killian wasn't entirely sure that that was the case. After all the kid definitely shared some resemblance to her. But there were parts of him that definitely weren't the image of Emma. He had spent hours memorizing her features so he could spot even the minuscule similarities in her and her son.

The supper went on rather uneventfully; at least as uneventfully as a dinner could go when it was with the love of your life who had ceased to remember you. Killian wondered if the extensive library he wandered past while on the way to Emma's house had a book on how to solve his issues. After all it did seem to have a vast collection of what Henry called self help books.

Mary Margaret asked tons of questions about how and why he decided to visit Storybrooke. Since the truth wasn't really an option (at least not without sounding entirely insane) he had to do quite a bit of fudging the truth. Every lie earned him a slightly suspicious glance from Emma. Evidentially her human lie detector tendencies hadn't been trounced with her lifestyle change.

So when the darkness of night rolled around Killian left the house with a stone of sadness wedged in his stomach. Mary Margaret had offered that he could stay with them for the night but he told them he preferred sleeping on his boat until he found a place of his own. It had been a lie of course; not that he didn't enjoy the soothing rocking motion of the sea but that he intended on staying. He loved Emma with all his heart; but she was happy and he wasn't going to do anything that could jeopardize that. He planned to sail off with his ship at first light and hope beyond hopes that he could make it back to his home realm. After all he wasn't quite sure if it would be possible to make a return trip from the land without magic. He supposed that at the very least he could find somewhere in this realm that hurt his heart less.

-CS-

With dawn brought a Killian who had made up his mind; he would leave this realm even if it was the last thing he would do. He went to pull up the anchor in order to set sail when he saw her standing on the dock. She was beautiful in her red leather jacket with the sun rise causing her hair to almost glow. She was practically ethereal in the morning sunrise. Killian felt a painful squeeze of his heart seeing her.

She walked up the gangplank and smiled at him nervously. "This is going to sound insane but I had a dream last night about you" she said.

Killian felt a swell of hope in his chest. "That sounds like a cheesy pick up line" he replied.

She merely rolled her eyes and said "Like I would ever use a pick up line on you. Besides if my memory serves me correctly you happen to be the one who uses pick up lines". Then she ran to him and gave him a big hug. Killian froze for a few minutes before hugging her back.

"I'm glad I was able to make such a great impression merely playing cards with you lass" he said with a huge smile breaking across his face.

She looked up into his face with amusement and whispered "we have a kid together you twit". Never before had Killian felt quite as happy.

-CS-

Adjusting to the modern realm was hard but Killian certainly wasn't going to take Emma away from her newfound family. Mary Margaret and David weren't her family by blood but they cared about her more than her actual parents ever did.

Plus there were other benefits to the realm; after all Killian quite enjoyed the somewhat magical treat of ice cream.

Perhaps Killian should have been embarrassed that his son had to teach him how to properly throw a baseball around; but he was just excited for the bonding time. Plus he enjoyed the look of amusement on his son's face whenever he totally messed up a throw.


End file.
